Calling it "way better than a laptop, way better than a phone," Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled his company's long-awaited iPad tablet-style multi-touch device Wednesday.
The device weighs just 1.5 pounds -- lighter than any netbook, Jobs noted -- and sports a 9.7-inch display. It also includes a 1GHz Apple-built ARM A4 processor which includes the CPU and graphics.
"Everything is one chip, and it screams," Jobs said.
He also touted that device gets 10 hours battery life watching video, and has a one-month standby charge. It will come in capacities of 16GB to 64GB of flash storage.
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As expected, the device also can connect to the existing App Store. It was revealed that current iPhone and iPod touch applications will work on the iPad. With just a tap, existing applications can be run in full-screen mode.
Jobs noted that the hardware is a "dream to type on," and demonstrated how to read, view media and content and access applications on the hardware.
It includes calendar, address book, maps and music applications built-in. It also connects to the iTunes store.
"You can discover music, you can purchase it," Jobs said. "Movies, TV shows, podcasts, iTunes University -- everything built right in."
It also has access to YouTube the streaming service's high-definition streaming content.
"Using this thing is remarkable. It's so much more intimate than a laptop, and it's so much more capable than a smartphone," Jobs said.
He then demonstrated browsing the Web on the device. Jobs sat on a couch on the stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and bought movie tickets on Fandango.
The hardware has many of the same capabilities of the iPhone and iPod touch, including an orientation sensor for switching between portrait and landscape modes, and multi-touch capabilities. The device even looks akin to a large iPhone.
iPad Specifications
9.7 inch IPS display
0.5 inches thin
1.5 pounds
Full capacitive multi-touch interface
16-64GB of Flash memory storage
1 GHz Apple-branded A4 chip (developed in-house)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
802.11n WiFi
Built-in Speaker
Built-in Microphone
Accelerometer & Compass
30-pin Dock connector (same as iPod and iPhone)
10-hours of battery life (Over one month standby time)
Runs all iPhone apps
App Store application included
iPad Environmental Checklist
Arsenic-free
BFR-free
Mercury-free
PVC-free system
Highly Recyclable
Jobs also showed sending e-mail, reading content and flipping through photos. Places that photos were taken could be viewed through the integrated maps application. It also allows a photo slideshow that works much like in iPhoto.
The touchscreen keyboard takes up half of the screen when the device is used in landscape mode.
Jobs also demonstrated a calendar application that looks much like the Calendar app available on the Mac OS X desktop. He also showed off buying and listening to iTunes content on the iPad, demonstrating high-definition clips from movies like "Up" and "Star Trek."
A New York Times reader was also demonstrated, with officials saying they wanted to capture the "essence" of reading a newspaper. The design on the iPad looks like a traditional newspaper front page.
Games were also given a major focus at the event, with Gameloft's "Nova," a new ESPN-licensed title called "Snocross," and EA's "Need for Speed" shown running on the iPad.
Also demonstrated was a Major League Baseball application that allows users to track live games, watch video highlights and view player statistics. The software will be integrated with MLB.com to view player "cards" and track standings.
Starting Wednesday, developers will be able to access a new SDK that will allow them to test their iPhone applications with a "simulator."
Default iPad Apps
Safari
Mail
Photos
iPod
Calendar
Contacts
Notes
Maps
Movies
YouTube
iTunes Store
App Store